Patch On, Pirate Up!
Tambo Talks Like a Pirate for Childhood Cancer Support
Ahoy, Tambo! On Saturday, 19 September, there’ll be pirates aplenty in town as our community comes together for Talk Like a Pirate Day, raising much-needed funds for Childhood Cancer Support.
Presented locally by Tambo mum Bec Hendle, this year’s event is particularly special, marking five years since her eldest son, Ajax, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive childhood cancer.
In October 2021, Bec and her family’s world changed when Ajax, who was only 2 at the time, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare childhood eye cancer affecting fewer than eight children in Australia each year.
The tumour in Ajax’s eye had grown so large that his eye had to be removed.
Thankfully, with access to world-class medical care, his treatment was successful.
But for a family living in Tambo, treatment and follow-up care don’t simply mean a quick trip to the local hospital.
For the past five years, Ajax has travelled from Tambo to Brisbane every three months for check-ups. With three younger children at home, including a set of twins, these regular trips have created significant logistical and financial challenges for the Hendle family.
That’s where Childhood Cancer Support has made an enormous difference.
The organisation supports regional families who must relocate or regularly travel for paediatric oncology treatment, providing free short- and long-term accommodation, along with food, transport and counselling services. By taking care of many of the practical pressures surrounding treatment, they give families more time and energy to focus on what really matters – their child.
For Bec, Mark and their family, their assistance with accommodation and travel has helped ease the burden of those regular trips to Brisbane and, importantly, helped Ajax get on with the business of just being a kid.
On Saturday, 19 September, Tambo will mark five years since Ajax’s diagnosis by doing what our little community does so well – getting behind one of our own while helping other regional families facing childhood cancer.
The pirate fun kicks off from 6pm, with a Best Dressed Pirate Competition, plenty of pirate games and lots of swashbuckling fun.
And, of course, Tambo Teddies couldn’t resist joining the crew!
We’ve donated a very special Pirate Bear to be raffled, with the lucky winner drawn on the night. He’s ready for adventure and looking for a new first mate!
This year, Childhood Cancer Support is asking everyone to “Patch On, Pirate Up” and help raise funds for regional families who need to relocate for their child’s cancer treatment.
All funds raised will contribute towards the organisation’s new accommodation village close to the hospital, allowing Childhood Cancer Support to provide a home away from home for even more families.
For those of us living in regional and remote Queensland, we understand just how far away specialist medical care can be. When a child becomes seriously ill, families shouldn’t also have to worry about where they will stay, how they will get around or how they will manage the everyday necessities of life away from home.
So, dig out your eye patch, dust off your pirate hat and practise your best “ARRRR!”
Come along, support Bec and Ajax, buy a raffle ticket for our Pirate Bear and help Tambo raise a treasure chest of funds for Childhood Cancer Support.
If you would like to help Bec reach her fundraising goals you can do so HERE.
